Cold as Cryospace
by RebelWriter6561
Summary: The introduction of a very important doctor into Khan's life may very well reveal the heart of the high-functioning sociopath. Star Trek Into Darkness mildly crossed over with Sherlock.
1. Before

~*~Boy those crossover bunnies bite hard. This started as a mini fic/headcanon exploration intended only for the eyes of my beloved Lady Liaisons, because I figured everybody and their mother had already overdone this idea to death. But apparently I was wrong and was talked into/bribed into putting it up here. Not a total crossover, but enough of one to breed a vicious little plotbunny, and that's good enough for me.  
Warnings: John, no matter the incarnation, has a slightly dirty mouth. Be warned.  
Musical Muse: none  
Disclaimer. Still not anyone related to the Sherlock series. I'm also not affiliated with Star Trek, old, new, reboot, or otherwise.

~*~Before~*~

The first time Khan met his Medic, the man was bossily ordering stacks of medical equipment into place. As advanced as all members of his new crew were, they still needed certain treatments and occasional checkups. The dark and blonde man had glanced and nodded at him when they had been introduced before turning back to his business. Khan felt a slight sting of anger, (didn't this man know who he was?) but shrugged it off. If the army doctor didn't acknowledge him now, he would later. They'd be spending quite a bit of time on this ship after all. They were comrades, brothers-in-arms. On this ship, they were all family.

Several days into their journey, the new doctor, Jhon, called their leader into his medical chambers "because everyone needs to be checked out during a space trip, and especially prior to battle, if there's time, and I know for a fact that you've missed your last five exams so you're going to sit your arse down and take off your shirt. Please." Khan hadn't complained. Not overmuch. Not nearly as much as Jhon would later recall and retell. The pushy doctor then ordered him - Ordered! Ordering the Captain! - to sleep more, even though everyone knew they didn't need to sleep nearly as much as ordinary people. And as for his suggestion to eat more food...tedious. Annoying fellow, but somehow, he worked quite well for everyone else on the ship.

"I'll be monitoring your vitals, so you'd better take my advice." Jhon ordered, with a smile softening his words. Khan felt it was best to indeed to heed his counsel, at least some, rather than deal with a mildly temperamental fellow with sharp scalpels.

The next time Khan saw him, Jhon was beating their enemy into a bloody pulp because the other had foolishly come between the doctor and an injured man. Khan decided, in the space of time between bullets, that he would certainly appreciate the other man more after witnessing that.

Again after, he had gone to the good doctor for...well, not advice. Khan didn't need any advice as to how to cripple and defeat an enemy. He just wanted to know if the species had a weakness that could be medically abused. There he learned that Jhon was the perfect conductor of ideas: fast enough to keep up, asked the right questions, and quite good enough to be Khan's perfect foil. Oh yes, he would do nicely. He would have to visit again.

Dozens of other visits, several fights with each other and at the other's side, Jhon was comfortable enough to gently tease Khan, and Khan knew Jhon's every habit and preference. He didn't realize how much he wanted to know these things before Jhon made him want to know. He craved the knowledge of Jhon. And thanks be to whatever higher beings possibly existed, Jhon was interested and kind enough to allow Khan to focus his undivided attention to him.

As their lives and everything they knew crumpled around them, Khan found himself seeking out Jhon more and more, using him to settle his rage. They were warriors, fighters, in a universe that now only craved peace. The damn fools who tried to control them had now turned against them, and Khan and his crew were in danger. He knew it, Jhon knew it, the whole crew knew it, but Jhon was the only one who knew how scared their leader was. Khan was afraid, not for his own life and safety, but for those of his family.

Jhon was the one who suggested flying to the outermost edge of space and freezing themselves. Despite Khan's protests, the idea grew among the crew, who were tired of fighting the enemies they knew and who knew them in return. A fresh start, far off in the future, was temping.

Khan had only his fears. That something would go wrong in the cryo-freezing process (Jhon assured him there wouldn't be), that when they woke they would face an enemy they could not counter (Utterly illogical - they were the best for a damn reason), that they would be destroyed rather than woken up. And if they never woke up...

Only Jhon knew about Khan's utter dread of the deep black nothingness. Khan knew his fear of death for himself and his crew was what kept them alive for so long, when other younger, cockier captains who pretended not to fear death ultimately met it. He loathed the idea of something outside of his control happening to any one of his men or women, who fought so loyally and only deserved the highest of recognition. Instead, they were exiled.

In the end, it was decided to put the crew into rest. One raid on a cargo ship later, and there were seventy-three gleaming pods awaiting them. Jhon and the engineers began calibrating them, outfitting them with the highest of technology to survive the long cold sleep they all faced. Khan watched with unease, unable to voice his concerns to the one person he trusted with them.

One by one, he watched his beloved family slip into dormancy. He ensured that he was beside them all as they went under, reassuring them for the last time that they would be safe, and he would see them again when they woke. Jhon was quiet as he worked, but Khan knew he could only be feeling despair equal to Khan's.

They would be the last two to go under. Khan would have to induce Jhon, and then put himself under, with the special control pad inside his own tube. Jhon pointed out that the tampering done to the tube would attract the attention of those who would awaken them, and that would better the chances of them waking Khan first.

"Once you are out, the first thing you do is open my tube. I need you to do this Khan - I don't know if they'll have done the waking process properly, but if you are able, get me out so I can help." Bless his fierce little healer. Khan didn't know if he had the strength to put his dearest friend under.

He knelt by Jhon's tube as the other man settled himself, wiggling a bit to get comfortable. He laid back and smiled up at Khan. That smile, more than Jhon's silent determination or his unwavering faith in Khan's future actions, was what brought the tears from Khan's eyes. The crushing weight of what was about to happen nearly choked the breath from him. Seeing his family be taken by sleep was too much, and now Jhon...he could be seeing Jhon for the last time. He couldn't do it, he couldn't say goodbye to his friend and leave him cold and alone. He just couldn't.

Jhon pushed himself up on his elbows, raising his head to Khan's. His calm blue eye met Khan's tear-filled ones and he smiled wider, before pushing himself up higher with one arm as the other reached up. Tangling in Khan's hair, he pulled his captain down and pressed their lips together.

Khan never realized, until that moment, how much he needed Jhon to kiss him. All the faith and trust Jhon had, Khan could learn from his lips. There was no doubt, no reason not to trust. There was only Jhon and strength. Khan didn't even feel fear any more.

Jhon pulled away when he knew Khan was ready to face the future. He settled back in his tube, and nodded. He had waited until Khan was ready, and he would not forget that, if and when he awoke. As if he needed more motivation to wake Jhon first.

The last act of Doctor Jhon, before slipping into sleep, was to smile at Khan. His face was the last Khan saw behind his eyes before deep darkness took him.

Maybe when they woke, they could be together even longer.

~*~Reviews make writers and bunnies happy. There will be more!


	2. During

~*~ This was gonna go up earlier, I swear, but my computer and conspired against me.  
Angst Ahoy! This chapter is set during the movie, so of course its angsty. And that's a good thing.  
Warnings: none that I can think of, besides violence.  
Musical Muse: none  
Disclaimer: I just own a bunch of plotbunnies, not Benedict or Chris or Zach. It's a hard choice deciding which I'd rather have.  
Love and adoration to my beta Kat, and all the lovely people who review. You are all wonderful people.

~*~During~*~

The first time Khan thought his crew was dead, he had no one to blame but himself

That wouldn't stop him from seeking his revenge on Admiral Marcus and all the fools who had tried to use him. They would suffer, or die, or both - as long as they paid for his crew's death with their own in the end.

But it was all his fault, all _his _fault, that his crew had been killed. He hadn't fought hard enough for their release, he hadn't taken the proper precautions of looking after them himself. There was nothing worse than knowing his crew had died because he hadn't done enough.

He and he alone had loaded his crew into torpedoes in a last ditch attempt to save them. It was undecidedly the hardest moment of his life, much harder than it had been to seal them in their tube sealing every member into a weapon. This time, he didn't have Jhon at his side, couldn't whisper reassurances that they would all be safe, that everything would be better when they awoke.

Waking Jhon, or any of his crew for that matter, had been impossible during his current situation, despite his best efforts. He tried to the best of his not-inconsiderable abilities to persuade them to open another tube - for companionship, for assistance, for another brilliant mind to lend to starting their war - but it was all in vain. Claiming to be sick - he even made himself throw up for added effect - didn't move them to open his doctor's tube. Even when he could slip away to the storage room they were kept, he didn't dare risk opening one. It would take too long, he would be found out, and then his crew would be put to death before his eyes.

Khan knew this for a fact because that's exactly what Admiral Markus promised him would happen. And he always made good on his word.

He had been discovered, surrounded, and his only chance to escape with his own life, to seek revenge, was in running. And so his crew had fallen, and Khan knew he would _never _forgive himself or anyone else involved.

He had allowed himself to be _used _by that _bastard_, Marcus,with the feeble hope that his crew would be released after his work was done. Khan hadn't done enough, and now his crew was dead. And because he wanted nothing more in the universe than to be with them, he would follow them into the permanent blackness that awaited him...after his revenge.

The thing about Marcus? He was clever. With every move Khan made, Marcus had one to counter it. Khan blew up the cover building, Marcus declared him a rouge member of Starfleet. Khan shot up his meeting, Marcus survived. Khan went to Kronos, Marcus sent his Starfleet after him, armed with torpedoes that _contained his crew, alive and well._. The Admiral's ultimate plan would have worked, resulting in the death of Khan, his crew, and so many dangerous loose ends, if it weren't for the Captain with a conscience.

When he first heard the transmission, mentioning high-powered torpedoes, he had allowed himself the barest sliver of hope, even though logic and sense told him to be on his guard. And when he learned that there were exactly seventy-two, his family ready to bring him to his death, his elation had even lessened the harsh blows delivered to him. Not, of course, that they hurt much in the first place.

Khan knew he should be somewhat more merciful to the arrogant young man for sparing his crew, but not while they were still locked in his high-stakes game. It was hard enough to think three moves ahead of two different opponents without drowning in cold relief that his crew was still, miraculously, alive. He managed to keep ahead, through every obstacle, until at last he saw the torpedoes beam into his hanger bay.

He thought, for one shining minute, that he had won, that his crew was safe with him, that he could leave the game and come back with a full crew behind him and Jhon at his side. It was a foolish hope, and one that was destroyed in a matter of seconds.

There was no doubt this time, no chance of a miracle bringing them back. Khan had seen the explosions himself, and felt it again, the stab in his heart telling him that he was again alone, and there was revenge and death to seek out. And this time, there were others to blame.

He retaliated against _The Enterprise _first, against Kirk and his Vulcan so they could feel the pain of knowing their crew would die. Why should he be the only one to feel this pain? When somehow, illogically, improbably, the ship survived her fall, he trained his ship towards Starfleet instead. One way or another, he would make them pay.

His fight with the Vulcan...did not go well at all. Khan knew how to do battle with powerful opponents, but even he had underestimated the Commander. Later he learned the reason for Spock's rage, and felt a hint of approval despite his pain. Khan had succeeded in making someone experience his pain, and after learning that the Captain had temporarily died to save his crew, he knew he had earned as much revenge as he could.

He would not forgive the Vulcan commander for his actions during the fight. He had accessed Khan's mind somehow, found his weakness, multiplied the grief until it nearly crippled him, and dug into his most treasured memory. Khan's rage knew no bounds. He couldn't _bear _the idea of this unworthy creature knowing Jhon's every expression, knowing what passed between them at their final moments. They were _his_, Jhon was _his, _and that man had no right!

When he finally awoke disoriented and alone (as seemed to be his unfortunate tendency) he was ready to fight once more. To the death, be it the Captain's or Commander's or his own. He was sick of this life, he was tired of being alone, and he wanted Jhon. He wanted his family so badly.

Commander Spock entered the room. He and Khan starred at each other, hatred palpable in the air between them. They had performed unforgivable acts against the other, and there would never be peace between them. At least they both recognized that.

Khan spoke first. "Whatever you want to do to me, go right ahead. I have nothing more to fight for and you have _nothing _to force me to comply. You may as well kill me so that I may join my crew." There was a challenge in his voice, and he wondered if the Vulcan would indeed take him up on his offer. Certainly he would have killed Khan earlier if the woman hadn't interfered.

Spock did not visibly respond, though Khan knew, from his unfortunate mind-meld, that he was not as emotionless as his pure-blood relatives were. Indeed, he should be simmering with rage, at seeing the man who had killed one so dear to him. Khan felt the same, until the Vulcan finally spoke.

"You crew is not dead." Khan scoffed, but Commander Spock continued like he hadn't made a noise. "We removed them from the torpedoes before they were beamed over to _The Vengeance. _They are all alive, and all in the best of condition. Unlike you, Starfleet does not so easily throw away lives."

That was definitely a fierce glare directed at him, but Khan ignored it in favor of stamping down the hope that reared its head again. "Do you really think it so easy to fool me?" he snarled. Rage was pushing aside the foolish emotion and threatened to consume him. "I would not believe a word you say without _proof_. So unless you have that, I suggest you leave me before I convince you to fight me again."

An infuriating eyebrow rose at Khan's angry words, but he made no move to follow up on the suggestion. Instead, he turned his attention to the pad in his hand and pressed something on the screen. He spoke into it. "Commander Chekov, if you'd be so kind as to show Khan his crew."

"Aye sir," Came the response from the other side. Khan couldn't breathe as Spock turned the pad around, allowing him to see the screen. He focused as hard as he could to see if what Commander Spock said was true. The image jiggled, then abruptly blurred and swung as the man on the other side apparently stumbled, saying "Sorry, sorry!" as he righted himself. The image steadied, and focused, and Khan saw his crew.

He was silent as the camera was passed over tube upon tube of men and women, all looking unharmed and still peacefully asleep. Khan drank in the sight of them all, and his heart leapt at seeing Jhon. He stayed motionless as the sight ended, and Spock turned the pad back to himself. His crew was all alive - still in the hand of the enemy, but alive. Khan made his decision. He would do all he could to ensure their continued safety, but he would not be used again. Thankfully, he was not the only one with this opinion.

"At the moment, it is widely agreed that you and your crew will be placed under guard, and will never be woken again. It is my hope that you will go quietly into cryosleep, as further punishment will be ineffectual against you." He wasn't looking at Khan, but the Vulcan's voice was softer than usual, and Khan could almost forgive him for his actions. Except for the unnecessary mind-meld.

"I'll..." Khan suddenly noticed the tightness of his throat, of tears rolling down his cheeks. He didn't want to cry in front of this unfeeling Commander, but he was helpless to stop the tears. He tried again. "I'll go quietly, I'll do whatever you want, but please..." the word came out too quietly, and he licked his lips and tried again, "_Please,_ let me see them again; let me check that they're all safe. That's all I want, for them to be safe. _Please_." When bribery and forceful action failed, Khan was not so far above it all to plead.

Commander Spock said nothing of the tears or the begging, or gave any sign that he saw anything out of the usual at all. He turned away, pausing at the door only to say, "You have my word," before leaving.

Khan laid back with a gusting sigh. The endless dark would greet him again soon, and he still had to worry about his crew's safety, but for the moment, he let himself cry, and rejoice the fact that Jhon was still alive. If all went as Starfleet planned, they would never be together again, but that didn't matter.

They were both alive. That was enough.

~*~ One more chapter...one of these days...


	3. After

~*~ Unexpected Spock and Kirk! Not quite sure why I did a pov switch in this chapter, but I'm sure there's a reason. Actually, I do know the reason. By the end of the chapter, I'm pretty sure you will too.  
Warnings: Don't think so.  
Musical Muse: Nada  
Disclaimer: The putting-words-into-sentences-and-feels thing is mine, but nothing else is.  
Have I mentioned how wonderful my beta is? And all the lovely people who reviewed? Amazeballs, all of you.

~*~After~*~

"So...why are we letting this guy go again?" Kirk was looking through the small one-way mirror on Khan's transport cell. A month in captivity hadn't changed the terrorist physically, even if in the meantime Kirk had awoken, recovered (extraordinarily quickly, once he was conscious) and was back in command as he should be...and looking for a bit of an explanation as to why Khan and all of his crew were being allowed to live. Normally he would have been understandably against killing lots of people, but after certain events he wasn't feeling as generous as he barely normally was.

"It is my belief that he has been punished enough. He was quite distraught until I assured him that his crew was still alive." Spock said evenly. He was still acutely furious at Khan, (and how the hell Kirk exactly knew that, he had no idea) but was quite calm at the moment. "The only punishment that would be suitable for him would be further separation from his crew, and that, I'm afraid, would only serve to make him more dangerous." A slight pause. "He has been kept from them long enough. Putting him back to sleep and them all into guarded storage is the only logical step that calls for the least amount of damage to everyone.

"But I just...don't get it! I mean, a captain caring for his crew is one thing, but this-!" Kirk gestured at Khan and the surrounding warehouse. After much debate from all sides, it was agreed that Khan should be put back to sleep with his crew, but only after - Khan had specifically demanded this - he had checked all the tubes to ensure his people were still in prime condition. And they would all remain so until the future date they were awoken.

Kirk really hoped that time wouldn't come soon, if ever.

Spock sighed in that long-suffering way he did when he was forced to explain something to someone of inferior intellect. "When Khan and I were...fighting" - a rather graceful way for him to describe an event that Kirk understood was very close to a no-holds-barred beatdown - "I melded my mind with his." At Kirk's unbelieving glance he elaborated. "It was an attempt to weaken him. Even someone of superior strength and increased intellect has mental vulnerabilities that can be used against him." He paused again. "I'm afraid to say I found one and used it quite effectively against him."

To Kirk's annoyance, he stopped speaking when the heavily-armed guard approached the transport cell to release Khan. The terrorist had been unusually complacent over the last few weeks, perhaps because he knew any further antics would cost him his crew or earn him another fight with Spock. Kirk wouldn't dare ask Spock if perhaps he was just tired of fighting; as he told Admiral Marcus, he should have been left asleep.

The heavy metal doors opened, and Khan stepped out. His hands were bound before him, and he made no move to escape or even look at Spock and Kirk. He only had eyes for the cryo cells laid out before him. His guards trailed behind him as he stepped deliberately to the first tube, then the next. His lips quietly moved in time with his steps, and Kirk realized he was counting. Up one row and down the other, he quietly checked that his crew was accounted for.

He paused next to one tube, indistinguishable from the others. "Why has this one been opened?" He spoke quietly, but there was a dangerous edge to his words.

"We placed Captain Kirk in that tube to save his life." Spock spoke with assurance, daring Khan with his eyes to question his call. "Your crewmate was placed in a medical coma and later returned to his cell in full condition. He was unharmed in any way."

Khan didn't look up from his crewmate's face. "Is there any particular reason you chose this tube?" He sounded as though he was barely containing his anger now. Kirk was almost tempted to step away. He had seen Khan's wrath before, when he had crushed Admiral Marcus' skull like a peach, but this was more, deeper. Kirk wondered if this is what Spock had looked like when he thought he had died.

"It was simply the closest at hand. And I assure you, your crewmate is still in prime condition." Spock paused again, a much deeper silence than before. He was considering something. His next words were much quieter. "Had I known the identity of the inhabitant, or had been there myself, I would have asked for another be used."

"It wouldn't have made a difference!" Khan snapped. He knelt next to the tube to examine the container, and check the vitals monitor on the side. "Any tampering of the tubes could cause serious harm the inhabitants, and for any of them to be harmed Is Not Acceptable!" He was screaming now, face red and distorted with anger.

"You would have done the same!" Spock snapped back. Kirk's gaze jumped from one angry man to the other, amazed at seeing his friend so unsettled. Usually Kirk was the only one who could do that, but there was Khan, with whom the Vulcan seemed to have an understandable vendetta against, who managed to anger him like Kirk had never seen before. Khan looked pretty pissed too, but had noticeably flinched at Spock's words.

After another pause (he really did that a lot) Spock's next words were quieter. "If the situation were reversed, I have no doubt you would have done the same. We never had nor will have any intention to harm your family."

_What exactly did he learn from that mind-meld?_ Kirk wondered. He had no chance to ask while Khan checked the vitals again, keeping one hand pressed to the glass shield over his sleeping crewmate's face. At long last, he stood. Khan stared at the tube one last time before moving on to continue his check of the rest.

Spock walked over to the tube Khan had spent so much time beside. Kirk trailed after him. Looking down at the frozen face, he didn't see anything notable about this so-called super-powered being. He was normal-looking, not overly handsome like Khan was probably supposed to be, dark blonde hair over a sleep lined face. Entirely ordinary, and yet his removal from the cryo tube angered Khan like nothing else before. Kirk glanced at Spock to see him looking down as well, with a very troubled expression.

"So...who's this guy?" Kirk glanced over at Khan, but he was far enough away that he wouldn't hear, unless he had super hearing. He probably did, but Kirk went on anyway. "Is he really all right, or was that just some Vulcan bullshit?"

That earned him a very interesting look from his friend, but Spock answered nonetheless. "He is indeed in perfect health, or as well as he can be while frozen and asleep. Your friend Doctor McCoy checked him to the best of his abilities, and given that Khan has awoken with no negative effects it is highly unlikely that this man will suffer any."

"And he is..." Kirk knew when Spock was avoiding his questions (he did it a lot), but damn it, he wanted an answer. Khan was now standing by his own tube, looking rather accepting of his fate now that his crew was all accounted for.

Spock looked him directly in the eye as he turned to go. "He was the medical officer of Khan's crew, an incredibly sympathetic and understanding man for someone so dangerous in battle. Khan...treasured him rather highly."

"Treasured him?...Wait, wait, Spock!" Kirk stumbled after his friend, trying to understand. Nasty mean old Khan, "treasuring" someone? Was that just Spock's language choice or did Khan...freaking treasure? "What does that mean?!"

"It means that Khan feels the same way about this man as I do about you." Spock rather stiffly admitted. "The mind meld was unpleasant for both of us and it was with great displeasure that I used this particular weakness against him, but at the time I felt no such hesitation." Kirk knew his mouth was hanging open even wider than usual, but good God...Spock was serious, he was actually serious.

He looked over at Khan, quite unbelieving, until he saw the expression on his face. Just like Spock, he was hard to read, but just with like Spock, Kirk knew this particular expression. It was vulnerable, the face of a man who had seen someone he cared deeply about in a bad situation, and was completely helpless to do anything about it. Kirk felt a stab of...not quite sympathy, but understanding.

Spock was right. If the situation were reversed - if Khan's doctor had been the one dying, Khan would have done the same thing.

~*~And that's the end! Much love to everyone who read this! Please review!


	4. Even Longer After

~*~Okay I lied there's one more chapter. You really didn't think I'd end it right there did you? Happy endings were needed!  
Warnings: few swear words  
Musical Muse: None  
Disclaimer: I am nobody of import that has anything to do with either Sherlock or Star Trek, in any interpretation of them.  
Big Ass Thank You to my Lady Liaisons Ani and Kat, for persuading me to post this. And to everyone who read, faved, reviewed, and generally put up with this story. You all rock.

~*~Even Longer After~*~

The sensation of rising up through darkness, thick syrupy clawing stuff that tried its damnedest to hold him down...Khan knew the sensation, had felt it once before. He was being awoken from cryo, again. Once more, someone was trying to tear him from his rest, into a world that did not want him and he did not want. It didn't have his family, it didn't have his Jhon. He didn't want this.

Khan fought it, such as he could, but it was no use. Consciousness was pulling him close, and he could already feel his arms and legs, instead of a lack of any sensation from deep sleep. His eyelids were heavy as the greatest weights, and he felt the uneasy feeling that he felt the first time he had been awoken. That time, he decided it was some side effect of the waking. This time, Khan wondered if it was a warning, if his own body knew the years of loneliness that faced him, and tried to avoid it.

What would he find when he awoke? Strange men who didn't understand him? An unfeeling machine that refused to cooperate? More cold dark years where he was forced to suffer without his companionship? He wouldn't stand it, not again.

Not even fully awake, Khan began to struggle where he lay. The last time he awoke, he had been disorientated, hadn't known what would await him and so had been too passive. He allowed his future enemies to have an advantage over him, but not this time.

"He's coming to!" Someone was there, someone he didn't recognize. He struggled harder, trying to pry his eyes open. They wouldn't focus, only bright white light and dark shadows registering. Damn his body and damn whoever awoke him!

"Khan! Would you hold still for five minutes? Calm down!" Khan froze as though he'd been doused with ice water. That voice he knew. Oh, how he knew.

"Jhon..." He groaned, and was rewarded with the most delightful touch to his forehead. He knew that touch. It was really him.

"Yes, I'm here, you idiot. Give yourself a few more minutes to wake up, and you'll be on your feet in no time." The hand left, and Khan jerked against his restraints. A rather pathetic moan came from his throat, which perhaps prompted the hand that rested on his. Shamelessly, Khan turned his hand to hold it.

Any normal day, under normal circumstances, he would never behave like this, even after the events prior to their being frozen. But after years of dwelling only on memories of Jhon, reliving every conversation and slight touch (and especially the kiss), after being alone for so long, he could not stop himself. Things were different now.

"The crew..." he rasped, and felt the harshness of his throat. Jhon knew, of course he knew, and Khan felt a cup press to his lips. After several deep gulps, he moved away with a gasp. His eyesight was returning as well. He could make out the outline of his doctor, and he was never happier to see anyone in his life.

"The crew is all accounted for. No problems, all waking up properly. We're all together again." There was no mistaking the smile in Jhon's voice, and Khan badly wished to see it.

"They woke me before." Khan stopped, unsure as to how to proceed. It would take so long to explain...

"That's what they said." So Jhon already knew. He was quiet, but his hand tightened over Khan's and he returned the feeling. "You had quite a time of it, I heard. But, I'm glad you're all right." A very long pause, charged with emotion, passed before Jhon spoke haltingly again. "I suppose you've had time to - ahem - think about...things. Yes...um..."

Hearing Jhon stumble over his words again was making Khan's chest hurt. "I thought about what happened between us quite a bit, Jhon." He spoke evenly, not wishing Jhon to interpret anything bad from his words. "I believe it was the only thing that kept me mildly sane the entire time I was alone." Jhon went still beside him.

The words then came pouring out, everything he wanted to say but couldn't in his long unhappy years without everyone he knew. "I thought I lost you, and the crew, so many times. I tried _so hard_ to make them open your tube, so I could have you with me, and they were using all of you against me and I couldn't-" he broke off with a gasp. There were tears leaking down his face, he was stunned to realize. The last time he cried, it had been in captivity. "I was so alone, and it was only until you weren't there that I realize how much I needed you."

Jhon was quiet, but his hand was still firm in Khan's. His other hand brushed away the tears. "And now that you aren't alone? That is, now that we're all together again, what now?" His voice was calm, reassuring, questioning: everything he valued about Jhon. His doctor.

What now, indeed. There would be the gathering of troops, reassurances that everyone was whole and well. There would be plotting, planning, revenge. There would be a time for talking to Jhon, for being with Jhon, for making up for lost years. But for now...

Khan opened his eyes. Jhon smiled down at him from next to his bed, just as he did before they went under, as though he never stopped smiling at him. Jhon's hand tugged on his, and Khan realized his restraints had been undone. Khan allowed himself to be pulled up, never taking his eyes from Jhon's.

"Now..." he leaned quite deliberately forward, and Jhon mirrored him. Their lips met as if they had never parted at all. Khan completely forgot about what he intended to say next, so lost in the utter rightness of being with Jhon again. It was as if the horrible years of darkness never happened at all.

Jhon pulled back to rest his forehead against Khan's. "Right," he whispered, and nodded, all business again, "now you better get off the bed and get your arse into gear," he muttered grumpily, but Khan knew that was just how he was. Khan nodded, and pulled back after one more quick kiss. There would be more, later. After he discovered who was so foolish as to let him out again, and who was even more foolish enough to release his family. With them behind him, and Jhon at his side...

He would be unstoppable.

~*~ Okay, now it's really done. Thanks for reading, much love to you all.


End file.
